MTV Rewind archives 27,000 classic MTV videos from “Headbangers Ball” to “Yo! MTV Raps.” Free, ad-free and sorted chronologically.
With the end of classic MTV music television worldwide, many people are growing longing for the original spirit of the former pop culture giant. This is exactly where the new fansite MTV Rewind comes in: an ambitious project by a fan that sees itself as a digital archive of music television history. The free website was launched with an impressive range of archives. All information here.
Four decades of MTV history are ready
MTV Rewind currently includes exactly 27,293 classic music videos and vintage commercials, curated from freely accessible YouTube sources. The material is clearly structured into several channels and takes users chronologically through more than four decades of MTV history – from 1981 to the 2020s. Particular attention is paid to iconic formats such as the hip-hop show “Yo! MTV Raps” and the metal classic “Headbangers Ball”, which were formative for many viewers.
Over This link takes you to the MTV Rewind website and can get through it.
A project close to my heart
On the homepage, the operator, who appears under the pseudonym “FlexasaurusRex”, promises that MTV Rewind will remain permanently free and ad-free. The project has so far been financed privately; Voluntary donations are intended to help secure operations in the long term. The offer is aimed primarily at nostalgics who have experienced music television as a cultural institution.
No more music videos
The launch of the fansite coincides with a phase of profound upheaval at the original channel. At the end of 2025, as a result of austerity measures by the media group Paramount Skydance, MTV discontinued numerous 24-hour music channels – including branches in Great Britain, Australia, Poland, France and Brazil. Only in the USA can music-focused channels such as MTV Classic and MTV Live still be received via cable.
In Germany, MTV also officially said goodbye to its music videos at the beginning of January 2026. The station is now increasingly focusing on reality TV, clip shows and documentary soaps such as “Germany Shore”, “Catfish: The TV Show” and “Caught In The Act: Unfaithful”. The last musical tracks played symbolically on New Year’s Eve. This ends a chapter that has shaped generations since MTV was founded in 1981 – and which now finds a digital life on platforms like MTV Rewind.